Corruption
by Magical Shovel
Summary: No matter how few the memories are, Xemnas, Xigbar, and Saix remember their lives before corruption and before the darkness consumed their hearts.


**Disclaimer: **All characters from KH belong to Square Enix. I make no profit. .w.; I can't help that my KH obsession has returned.

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Isa remembered a time before corruption, before another name. He remembered a time before a memorable scar, pointed ears, and golden eyes. There was a time before nothingness and before insensitivity. Back then, he wasn't a simple number. No, he was a human being. He wasn't a monster. He longed to be a Somebody once more. It was a terrible ache that dwelled within his chest that he couldn't comprehend. He clutched his space where his heart had once been located. What was left now? His eyes fluttered shut, lips parted ever so slightly. Waiting and a false sense of anticipation answered him. _Nothing._ No feelings. Few memories. Some were pleasant whilst many others were not. It left him disoriented to say the least with a mock sense of anger.

Back then, Lea was Isa's best friend. They did as they pleased as if they owned the world that supplied boundless curiosity. They weren't numbered. There were no codenames. No missions. Nothing to truly worry about. They were Somebodies rather than Nobodies. They had a small affect within their world regardless of its minute size. Now they do not. As soon as Isa had lost what mattered the most, his existence had been erased. It was as if it evaporated into thin air, without a trace left. No heart, no being, nothing. This was his nonexistent life and so he was faced with these endless thoughts and nameless regrets. However, there was one last memory before he undergone the final change, before he reached this stage. This memory had come when the darkness wrapped its sharp talons around him, crushing him. It was fuzzy like static. Isa and Lea sauntered through Twilight Town as the sun set behind them. Their shadows danced. Goofy grins were on their faces while they laughed and joked, eating sea salt ice cream. _Those were the days,_ Saix reminisced. _Before corruption._

Radiant Garden had once been his home. He had once been an assistant to Ansem the Wise, an infamous man. That much had been remembered and recollected. There was a time before he was second, but _first_ within his mind. Xigbar had once been Braig. He had a heart, thought it was ill-used at times. He had two, brown orbs and lacked a jagged scar upon his jaw. He had indeed been _different_. As mentioned beforehand, Braig had been his Somebody. The memories revealed that much. His name, _true_ name, always being called out by the faceless others. Sniper rifles… _arrow guns…_ had been his weapons just as they are now, but modified to a degree. The mirror revealed how different he now was, though. A thin frown traced over his features. Gloved fingertips pressed against the looking glass, sliding down.

"Man, did the key blade pick a dud or _what_?" His laughter filled the white room, dissolving into a fit of harsh snickers. He still laughed, heart or not. It neither bothered nor phased Xigbar. Laughter and banter happened to be a part of who he was or rather the _shell_ of who he was. He cared about the dark future and the past that continuously pestered him. The memories were chronic and equally troublesome as he was forced to put the pieces together. The Freeshooter gripped his head as he grasped the current reality. In order to avoid the truth, he responded with witty banter. The truth always did come in the form of questions. He was still the same being although his appearance had changed. A memory was buried so deep within that golden orb. He remembered challenging a faceless man to a duel. No, he wasn't faceless. He bore a key blade, a name, just like _him_. Xigbar was Braig. Braig fought… Someone. They looked like Sora… Roxas… But it was neither of them.

Xigbar shook his head, trying to remember. This was _during_ corruption. Now, here he stood, facing the aftermath. _After_ corruption. The times before corruption were all too blurry and vague. His expression was smug against his opponent, "Sora! Roxas!" He laughed, summoning his dual weapons with that signature grin. It was déjà vu to him. That golden eye glimmered, no _simmered _with absolute chaos. He remembered fading away, into the darkness, as they had diligently battled. He should have called out, _Ven!,_ one last time before the darkness consumed him once more. _Heh… Wouldn't they like to know… _This was the cost for such corruption.

Xemnas had once been Xehanort before stealing his master's name. He knew this, thought it was dully acknowledged. He recalled the hours that he poured into his work. All about the heart, both the darkness and the light. It was the source of his obsession. In fact, his work was still out, scattered about in equally scattered files. The heart was a fascinating masterpiece within his eyes which had brought him to the throne he now sat upon. Yes, he was the artist of the heart. The heart had been his muse. A long time ago, there had been both light and innocence. Now, there was darkness and corruption. What had happened, exactly? Back then, his dark, amber orbs had been of a much kinder shade. He yearned, more than anything, to gain his memories and emotions back. Xemnas was just an empty shell now.

"Kingdom Hearts…" He drawled out. The words rolled off of his tongue like an intimate whisper. The giant heart gleamed high above in the night's dark sky as he stared through the large window. His arms stretched out towards it before sharply recoiling back. Hands balled into tight fists. He wanted to tear his eyes away, but he could not like a curious child. A mimicry of pain twisted his features, "Why do you do this to _me_?" Was it not his own fault? Was it not his own obsession that was the source? _What did I do to deserve this? _A senseless thought. He continued to watch, half expecting an answer from the grand heart. Xemnas knew the truth. Hearts and the study of such had drove him to this state of pitiable, considerable corruption.

Thus, as Nobodies, they sit high upon their white thrones in that immaculate room. They were once Somebodies, beings with a heart and a soul. Now, the three are Nobodies, void of all emotion. The darkness had indeed consumed their hearts, driving each to their current state. As a toll, a good deal of their memories had been robbed and erased. They longed for their empty humanity, fueling their sole mission. _Kingdom Hearts._ Now, what had happened? It was all thanks to the corruption that altered both their minds and bodies. It was all thanks to the powerful corruption that delivered sweet lies and false fantasies.

End.


End file.
